MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- University of Minnesota Medical School scientists have discovered new cord blood stem cells that might lead to regenerating nerve tissue after a stroke.
The researchers say the new population of cells identified in human umbilical cord blood have properties of primitive stem cells.
Umbilical cord blood is generally known to contain hematopoietic stem cells that can only produce cells found in blood. The new findings, however, identify a small population of cord blood cells with the characteristics of more primitive stem cells that have the potential to produce a greater variety of cell types.
"We are excited by this discovery because it provides additional insight into how stem cells can restore function in the brain after injury," said Walter Low, senior investigator of the study and professor of neurosurgery.
The research appears in the latest issue of the journal Stem Cells and Development.
